Best Route from Muxia to Paris CDG?

[joe g texas aggies]

Planning on completing the CF in late May 2015. I am hooked on flying on AF, because it has non-stop flights to/from LAX. I would prefer not using another airline to get to CDG and risk missing my connecting flight to the US. I also would prefer not to spend the night in Paris/Madrid or other larger city in Spain/France.

My plans are to continue to walk to Cabo Finsterre/Muxia and then try to make my way back to Paris CDG by train/plane. What does the forum think about taking train to Bilbao, spend the night there, and then flying on Air France to CDG? There is an early morning flight that looks promising with about 1.5 hours to connect to the LAX flight. AF does not have all that many flights from western Spain to CDG, so I am limited in my choices.

 

[Mark Lee]

What about taking a bus back to Santiago and catching a flight from there back to Paris (CDG)? Time it so you fly back to CDG a few hours before your flight from there back to LAX. Gives you time to get your bag and check-in. I flew to Paris (CDG) from Santiago on Vueling Airlines when I did my first Camino.

 

[whariwharangi]

Taking the train to Bilbao and catch a flight from there to Paris is a viable option.

Here are some other options:

Aena manages airports in Spain.
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Satellite/HomeAenaAeropuertos/en/Home.html

See Santiago SCQ, Barcelona BCN, and Vigo VGO.

Vueling was offering flights from Santiago to Paris CDG but currently that is not indicated on the Santiago website. It might be offered during summer season only.

Vueling and Ryan Air offer flights from Santiago to Barcelona. Air France has flights from Barcelona to Paris CDG.

Air France has flights from Vigo to Paris CDG.

Renfe provides train service to Irun where it connects to France SNCF TGV with service to Paris. (You could get off the train at Biarritz) Renfe also provides service to Barcelona where it connects to France SNCF TGV to Paris. The time to Paris via Irun or Barcelona is about the same.

Hermanos Ferrin (no website) provides bus service from Muxia to Santiago bus station.

Muxia Concello - See Noticias for link to bus schedule
http://www.concellomuxia.com/ca/web/index.php?dep=2&mod=not

Monbus provides bus service from Fisterra to Santiago bus station and Santiago bus station to Vigo bus station.
http://www.monbus.es/index2.htm

Santiago bus station
http://www.tussa.org/web/interior.php?txt=arbore_web5&lg=cas

Vigo bus station
http://vigobus.com/

Note: CDG is 25 km from Paris. Any accommodation near CDG Airport would be outside of any large city.

 

[joe g texas aggies]

What about taking a bus back to Santiago and catching a flight from there back to Paris (CDG)? Time it so you fly back to CDG a few hours before your flight from there back to LAX. Gives you time to get your bag and check-in. I flew to Paris (CDG) from Santiago on Vueling Airlines when I did my first Camino.

Mark, Thanks for your response. I think you missed one of my "boundary conditions." What happens if the Vueling Airline flight is delayed and I miss my AF connection at CDG? It's my problem and not the problem of AF. The particular AF flight I am trying to make is a non-stop, Airbus A-380 to LAX, so I want to fly on an AF flight from Spain to CDG. The LAX flight I am looking at leaves just before noon from CDG.

 

[joe g texas aggies]

Taking the train to Bilbao and catch a flight from there to Paris is a viable option.

Here are some other options:

Aena manages airports in Spain.
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Satellite/HomeAenaAeropuertos/en/Home.html

See Santiago SCQ, Barcelona BCN, and Vigo VGO.

Vueling was offering flights from Santiago to Paris CDG but currently that is not indicated on the Santiago website. It might be offered during summer season only.

Vueling and Ryan Air offer flights from Santiago to Barcelona. Air France has flights from Barcelona to Paris CDG.

Air France has flights from Vigo to Paris CDG.

Renfe provides train service to Irun where it connects to France SNCF TGV with service to Paris. (You could get off the train at Biarritz) Renfe also provides service to Barcelona where it connects to France SNCF TGV to Paris. The time to Paris via Irun or Barcelona is about the same.

Hermanos Ferrin (no website) provides bus service from Muxia to Santiago bus station.

Muxia Concello - See Noticias for link to bus schedule
http://www.concellomuxia.com/ca/web/index.php?dep=2&mod=not

Monbus provides bus service from Fisterra to Santiago bus station and Santiago bus station to Vigo bus station.
http://www.monbus.es/index2.htm

Santiago bus station
http://www.tussa.org/web/interior.php?txt=arbore_web5&lg=cas

Vigo bus station
http://vigobus.com/

Note: CDG is 25 km from Paris. Any accommodation near CDG Airport would be outside of any large city.

Taking the train to Bilbao and catch a flight from there to Paris is a viable option.

Here are some other options:

Aena manages airports in Spain.
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Satellite/HomeAenaAeropuertos/en/Home.html

See Santiago SCQ, Barcelona BCN, and Vigo VGO.

Vueling was offering flights from Santiago to Paris CDG but currently that is not indicated on the Santiago website. It might be offered during summer season only.

Vueling and Ryan Air offer flights from Santiago to Barcelona. Air France has flights from Barcelona to Paris CDG.

Air France has flights from Vigo to Paris CDG.

Renfe provides train service to Irun where it connects to France SNCF TGV with service to Paris. (You could get off the train at Biarritz) Renfe also provides service to Barcelona where it connects to France SNCF TGV to Paris. The time to Paris via Irun or Barcelona is about the same.

Hermanos Ferrin (no website) provides bus service from Muxia to Santiago bus station.

Muxia Concello - See Noticias for link to bus schedule
http://www.concellomuxia.com/ca/web/index.php?dep=2&mod=not

Monbus provides bus service from Fisterra to Santiago bus station and Santiago bus station to Vigo bus station.
http://www.monbus.es/index2.htm

Santiago bus station
http://www.tussa.org/web/interior.php?txt=arbore_web5&lg=cas

Vigo bus station
http://vigobus.com/

Note: CDG is 25 km from Paris. Any accommodation near CDG Airport would be outside of any large city.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. One AF flight per day originating in Vigo to CDG and would require that I stay somewhere in the greater Paris area that night. Bilbao at least has four daily AF flights to CDG and the one that I would take would be the first one in the morning, which is always a good thing.

I suppose I should have said that I did not want to spend the night near the CDG airport, as well as spend the night in hotels near MAD and BCN. Besides BCN is all the way across Spain from Muxia/Finsterre. One question that you might be able to answer is how is the Renfe trains service from Muxia to Bilbao? Is that relatively painless?

Only want to fly on AF flights from Spain to Paris for the reasons stated above.

 

[whariwharangi]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. One AF flight per day originating in Vigo to CDG and would require that I stay somewhere in the greater Paris area that night. Bilbao at least has four daily AF flights to CDG and the one that I would take would be the first one in the morning, which is always a good thing.

I suppose I should have said that I did not want to spend the night near the CDG airport, as well as spend the night in hotels near MAD and BCN. Besides BCN is all the way across Spain from Muxia/Finsterre. One question that you might be able to answer is how is the Renfe trains service from Muxia to Bilbao? Is that relatively painless?

Only want to fly on AF flights from Spain to Paris for the reasons stated above.

The closest Renfe station to Muxia is Santiago. (The bus from Fisterra let me out at the train station on request) The Renfe and FEVE train schedules are not posted for May 2015 yet but likely won't be much different than it is now.

I don't think you will be able to go from Muxia to Bilbao same day because you need to be in Santiago at 1006.

There is currently one train per day from Santiago to Bilbao. It involves a transfer at Monforte de Limos. Leaves 1006 arrives 2032 for 1026 trip duration.

Renfe has a train Santiago to Leon lv 0834 ar 1258. This involves a transfer at Ourense. Then take the FEVE train from Leon to Bilbao lv 1350 - ar 2130.

Renfe (press the FEVE tab for FEVE information)
http://www.renfe.com/index.html

 

[joe g texas aggies]

The closest Renfe station to Muxia is Santiago. (The bus from Fisterra let me out at the train station on request) The Renfe and FEVE train schedules are not posted for May 2015 yet but likely won't be much different than it is now.

I don't think you will be able to go from Muxia to Bilbao same day because you need to be in Santiago at 1006.

There is currently one train per day from Santiago to Bilbao. It involves a transfer at Monforte de Limos. Leaves 1006 arrives 2032 for 1026 trip duration.

Renfe has a train Santiago to Leon lv 0834 ar 1258. This involves a transfer at Ourense. Then take the FEVE train from Leon to Bilbao lv 1350 - ar 2130.

Renfe (press the FEVE tab for FEVE information)
http://www.renfe.com/index.html

Thank you for this information and pointing me in the right direction. I believe I will have to modify my plans to get to Paris and should plan on spending the night before my flight back to the US.

 

[Mark Lee]

Mark, Thanks for your response. I think you missed one of my "boundary conditions." What happens if the Vueling Airline flight is delayed and I miss my AF connection at CDG? It's my problem and not the problem of AF. The particular AF flight I am trying to make is a non-stop, Airbus A-380 to LAX, so I want to fly on an AF flight from Spain to CDG. The LAX flight I am looking at leaves just before noon from CDG.

Yeah. That's gonna be difficult to do without spending a night in Paris. I had to both times I flew through there when I did my first Camino.

 

[petro]

In June this year I took a taxi from Muxia to Santiago, bus to Porto and spend the night at a hotel close to Porto airport (the bus stops at the airport). The next morning I flew with EasyJet to CDG for my AF flight to South Africa.

 

[joe g texas aggies]

In June this year I took a taxi from Muxia to Santiago, bus to Porto and spend the night at a hotel close to Porto airport (the bus stops at the airport). The next morning I flew with EasyJet to CDG for my AF flight to South Africa.

Thanks to everyone for their input.
I have just about decided that I will make my way to Madrid, spend one night there, and then catch an AF flight from MAD to CDG early the next morning. My connecting flight to LAX leaves later that same morning. I am wary of taking a flight on an airline other than AF.

 

[peregrina2000]

Planning on completing the CF in late May 2015. I am hooked on flying on AF, because it has non-stop flights to/from LAX. I would prefer not using another airline to get to CDG and risk missing my connecting flight to the US. I also would prefer not to spend the night in Paris/Madrid or other larger city in Spain/France.

My plans are to continue to walk to Cabo Finsterre/Muxia and then try to make my way back to Paris CDG by train/plane. What does the forum think about taking train to Bilbao, spend the night there, and then flying on Air France to CDG? There is an early morning flight that looks promising with about 1.5 hours to connect to the LAX flight. AF does not have all that many flights from western Spain to CDG, so I am limited in my choices.

I realize I'm late to this conversation, but as I read the posts, I am a bit unclear about one thing, and that is whether you have investigated the cost of a round trip ticket LAX to Paris, with the return being Santiago to Paris to LAX. (You can do this by using the multi-city function on most travel websites). I've found over the years that people frequently don't check adding on the intra-Europe segments to their international travel and it is often cheap, always more convenient, and leaves the problem of missing connections with the airlines not with the passenger.

Air France has a lot of other partner airlines, so it would book as an Air France ticket. The key is to get it all on one ticket, so that missed connections are not your problem. Because if you have a LAX-CDG-LAX ticket and you make your way to CDG on a separate ticket, whether it's AF or not, if you miss the connection, the are not responsible. And I'm also doubtful that you can check your luggage all the way through if they are separate tickets, even on the same airline. You may already know all of this, but I couldn't tell from the posts, sorry. Buen camino.

 

[joe g texas aggies]

Thanks for weighing in, Peregrina.
One of the "boundary conditions" that I am trying to meet is to take a particular late morning flight on an AF Airbus A380 nonstop to LAX. I don't want to fly to AMS on a KLM flight, I don't want to fly through ATL on a DL flight, etc. In other words, I am not looking to make a bunch of other stops on the way back - I am trying to minimize them.
I did determine that the best alternative appears to be to depart MAD on an AF flight to CDG and then, hopefully, connect on the specific AF flight to LAX.
I agree that there are low cost ways to get to CDG from NW Spain on one or more of the cheap airlines, but if that flight is delayed, it would not be an AF problem. It would be my problem.
It appears to me that I should take the train to MAD and spend the night there near MAD Barajas, since the first AF flight to CDG leaves at 0710.
Thanks again for trying to help. I feel confident I have found the best way to and from Europe for the Camino.

 

[whariwharangi]

Yup that looks good ... leave MAD 0710 transfer at CDG and arrive LAX 1410. 15 hours 1 stop. United/Air France

I haven't seen anything else shorter.